Tight end Jake Ballard showed up to the New York Giants' facility on Tuesday precisely at 4:02 p.m. ET, according to multiple Giants beat writers.

Ballard, who was waived by the Giants on Monday, thought he had cleared waivers and would be returning to the Giants after the team let him go following a failed physical on Monday. He expected to revert to the Giants' PUP list and ultimately land on injured reserve, where he would spend the season.

The Patriots later confirmed the move via a news release, announcing that
they had also placed tight end Brad Herman on injured reserve.

What an insane sequence of events for Ballard. He tore his anterior cruciate
ligament in the Super Bowl, was cut loose by the Giants, was given the
impression he'd be coming back, and then ultimately landed with the team he
helped beat in the big game.

This will surely frustrate the Giants. They didn't want to lose Ballard, but
they took the risk of waiving him. The Patriots decided to improve their team
by using the rules to their advantage. They will likely stash Ballard, even if
they know he can't help them in 2012.

"While this was very sudden, and I am still experiencing a great deal of
differing emotions, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you and place some
closure on a wonderful chapter in my life," the statement reads. "I will
greatly miss my teammates, the fans, the organization, and albeit short-Iived,
I will forever cherish all the great memories that we created during my time in
a Giant uniform.

"Simultaneously, I am humbled by the opportunity that the Patriots have
afforded me and as I have always done, I will bring nothing but hard work,
professionalism, and integrity to what is already a world-class
organization."